From: Acts 12:1-11
Persecution by Herod. Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance
[6] The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping
between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were
guarding the prison; [7] and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light
shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get
up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. [8] And the angel said to him,
“Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him,
“Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.” [9] And he went out and followed
him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he
was seeing a vision. [10] When they had passed the first and the second guard,
they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own ac-
cord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the
angel left him. [11] And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that
the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from
all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
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Commentary:
1-19. This is an account of persecution of the Church by Herod Agrippa (37-44),
which took place before the visit of Paul and Barnabas to the Holy City (cf. 11:
30).
The information given in this chapter about the latest persecution of the Jerusa-
lem community — more severe and more general than the earlier crises (cf. 5:17;
8:1) — gives an accurate picture of the situation in Palestine and describes events
in chronological sequence. Prior to this the Roman governors more or less protec-
ted the rights of the Jerusalem Christians. Now Agrippa, in his desire to ingratiate
himself with the Pharisees, abandons the Christians to the growing resentment
and hatred the Jewish authorities and people feel towards them.
This chapter brings to an end, so to speak, the story of the first Christian commu-
nity in Jerusalem. From now on, attention is concentrated on the church of Anti-
och. The last stage of the Palestinian Judeo-Christian church, under the direction
of James “the brother of the Lord”, will not experience the expansion enjoyed by
other churches, due to the grave turn which events take in the Holy Land.
1. This Herod is the third prince of that name to appear in the New Testament.
He was a grandson of Herod the Great, who built the new temple of Jerusalem
and was responsible for the massacre of the Holy Innocents (cf. Mt 2:16); he
was also a nephew of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee at the time of our
Lord’s death. Herod Agrippa I was a favorite of the emperor Caligula, who gra-
dually gave him more territory and allowed him to use the title of king. Agrippa
I managed to extend his authority over all the territory his grandfather had ruled:
Roman governors had ruled Judea up to the year 41, but in that year it was gi-
ven over to Herod. He was a sophisticated type of person, a diplomat, so bent
on consolidating his power that he had became a master of intrigue and a total
opportunist. For largely political motives he practiced Judaism with a certain ri-
gor.
2. James the Greater would have been martyred in the year 42 or 43. He was
the first Apostle to die for the faith and the only one whose death is mentioned
in the New Testament. The Liturgy of the Hours says of him: “The son of Zebe-
dee and the brother of John, he was born in Bethsaida. He witnessed the princi-
pal miracles performed by our Lord and was put to death by Herod around the
year 42. He is held in special veneration in the city of Compostela, where a fa-
mous church is dedicated to his name.”
“The Lord permits this death,” Chrysostom observes, “to show his murderers
that these events do not cause the Christians to retreat or desist” (”Hom. on
Acts”, 26).
5. “Notice the feelings of the faithful towards their pastors. They do not riot or re-
bel; they have recourse to prayer, which can solve all problems. They do not say
to themselves: we do not count, there is no point in our praying for him. Their love
led them to pray and they did not think along those lines. Have you noticed what
these persecutors did without intending to? They made (their victims) more deter-
mined to stand the test, and (the faithful) more zealous and loving” (”Hom. on
Acts”, 26).
St Luke, whose Gospel reports our Lord’s words on perseverance in prayer (cf.
11:13; 18:1-8), here stresses that God listens to the whole community’s prayer
for Peter. He plans in his providence to save the Apostle for the benefit of the
Church, but he wants the outcome to be seen as an answer to the Church’s fer-
vent prayer.
7-10. The Lord comes to Peter’s help by sending an angel, who opens the prison
and leads him out. This miraculous freeing of the Apostle is similar to what hap-
pened at the time of Peter and John’s detention (5:19f) and when Paul and Silas
are imprisoned in Philippi (16:19ff).
This extraordinary event, which must be understood exactly as it is described,
shows the loving care God takes of those whom he entrusts with a mission.
They must strive to fulfill it, but they will “see” for themselves that he guides
their steps and watches over them.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
The Crown of Righteousness
[17] For the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully,
that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. [18]
The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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Commentary:
6-8. Conscious of his closeness to death, St Paul writes in poetic strain about
his life in the service of the Gospel, about the meaning of death and his hope of
heaven. The imagery he uses shows how he interprets his experience in the
light of faith. “On the point of being sacrificed” — literally “poured out in sacrifice”
— death is an offering to God, like the libations of oil poured on the altar of sacri-
fices. Death is the beginning of a journey: “the point of my departure has come,”
the anchor is being weighed, the sails unfurled.
The Christian life is like magnificent Games taking place in the presence of God,
who acts as the judge. In Greece the Games had close connections with reli-
gious worship; St Paul presents the Christian life as a type of spiritual sport:
“races” indicates the continuous effort to achieve perfection (cf. Phil 3:14); trai-
ning for athletics indicates the practice of self-denial (cf. 1 Cor 9:26-27); fighting
stands for the effort required to resist sin even if that means death, as can hap-
pen in the event of persecution (cf. Heb 12:4). It is well worthwhile taking part in
this competition, because, as St John Chrysostom points out, “the crown which
it bestows never withers. It is not made of laurel leaves, it is not a man who pla-
ces it on our head, it has not been won in the presence of a crowd made up of
men, but in a stadium full of angels. In earthly competitions a man fights and
strives for days and the only reward he receives is a crown which withers in a
matter of hours [. . .]. That does not happen here: the crown he is given is a
glory and honor whose brilliance lasts forever (”Hom. on 2 Tim, ad loc”.).
All Christians who “have loved his appearing”, that is, who stay true to Christ,
share St Paul’s expectation of eternal life. “We who know about the eternal joys
of the heavenly fatherland should hasten to reach it by the more direct route”
(St Gregory the Great, “In Evangelia Homiliae”, 16).
9-18. In his letters St Paul often asks people to do things for him; his messa-
ges here are particularly moving, given as they are on the eve of his martyrdom.
He is following the example of Christ: he puts his trust in God even though his
friends desert him (vv. 10-12, 16); his enemies harass him more than ever, yet
he forgives them (vv. 14, 16); in the midst of his sufferings he praises the Lord (v.
18). His mention of Thessalonica, Galatia, Dalmatia, Ephesus, Troas, Corinth
and Miletus show how warmly he remembers places which were very receptive
to the Christian message. These few verses constitute a mini-biography.
His generosity of spirit is shown by the fact that he mentions so many disciples
by name; to all he gave of his best; some of them fell by the wayside but most
of them stayed faithful; some are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles or in
other letters, but for others this is the only mention in the New Testament. How-
ever, all without exception must have been very present to the Apostle who be-
came “all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22).
16-17. St Paul points to the contrast between the way men treat him and the
way God does. Because of the hazards involved in staying with Paul or defen-
ding him, some of his friends, even some of his closest friends, have deserted
him; whereas God stays by his side.
“You seek the company of friends who, with their conversation and affection,
with their friendship, make the exile of this world more bearable for you. There
is nothing wrong with that, although friends sometimes let you down. But how
is it you don’t frequent daily with greater intensity the company, the conversa-
tion, of the great Friend, who never lets you down?” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”,
88).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.